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CU Hires MacIntyre As New Head Football Coach

BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - The University of Colorado announced Monday that Mike MacIntyre is their new football coach.

The former San Jose State coach stepped down to join CU.

Mike MacIntyre
Mike MacIntyre (credit: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

On Monday, MacIntyre signed a five-year deal to coach the Buffaloes. He will make $2 million a season.

Before meeting with reporters Monday, MacIntyre had a chance to chat with his new team, leaving his players with this thought: He's turned around one downtrodden program and can do the same in Boulder. Not someday or down the road, either, but starting next season.

"I think he won a lot of guys over in his confidence, with what he did at San Jose State and what he can do now," quarterback Connor Wood said. "He said we have a lot of talent here and can do the exact same thing. We believe it."

"I think he won a lot of guys over in his confidence, with what he did at San Jose State and what he can do now," quarterback Connor Wood said. "He said we have a lot of talent here and can do the exact same thing. We believe it."

So does defensive back Parker Orms, who was recruited by former CU coach Dan Hawkins, played for Embree and now will learn a new system under MacIntyre.

"I came in here (to Colorado) with different expectations," Orms said. "I thought I would be with Hawk the whole time, thought we'd be competing for a national championship. That didn't happen with Hawk. Embree came in and I felt the same way. I really liked both of those coaches.

"I was down a few weeks ago - just another bump in the road. But I met with (MacIntyre) today and he seems like a well-rounded guy. I have a good vibe."
And that's a good start, MacIntyre said.

"You're trying to change everything in a positive light," he said. "They're hurting a little bit and they should be. They want to prove themselves. ... I saw the same thing at San Jose State."

MacIntyre led the Spartans to a 10-2 record this season and they were ranked in the AP's Top 25 at season's end. It's unclear so far if MacIntyre will lead the team in the Military Bowl, when they will play Air Force.

The Spartans, who play in the Western Athletic Conference, had their first 10-win season since 1987.

The Buffaloes fired Coach Jon Embree last month after two losing seasons and looked to be close to hiring Butch Jones from Cincinnati, but he chose Tennessee instead.

MacIntyre will be asked to turn around a program that's had seven straight losing seasons, including a 1-11 record this year that was the worst in the 123-year history of the program.

He's done it before: The Spartans (10-2) are ranked No. 25 in the BCS, two years after a 1-12 showing in his first season.

McIntyre, the son of former Vanderbilt coach George MacIntyre, is 16-21 in his three years as a head coach at San Jose State after serving as Duke's defensive coordinator and working as a secondary coach for the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets.

The 47-year-old MacIntyre took over a Spartans program still reeling from limited scholarships following academic penalties by the NCAA stemming from problems before previous coach Dick Tomey arrived. After the 1-12 season featuring a heavy schedule of ranked teams, the Spartans went 5-7 in MacIntyre's second season.

"We want to thank Mike (MacIntyre) for the tremendous job that he did. He turned the program around and did it the right way with character kids and by stressing academics. Mike provided us with a nice model moving forward for our next head coach to follow," San Jose State athletic director Gene Bleymaier said.

This marks athletic director Mike Bohn's third head coaching hire since he fired Gary Barnett in 2005. Embree had three years remaining on a five-year contract when he was fired after going 4-21.

The new coach faces a truncated recruiting season and must try to keep defections to a minimum from a roster that's loaded with freshmen.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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